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LANCASTER - Is Tim Schaffer interested in replacing Troy Balderson in the State Senate?

If so, the Lancaster state representative is not saying much.

Balderson, the Zanesville-area Republican, apparently won a special election last week to replacing Pat Tiberi in the Ohio's 12th district in the U.S. House.

"My focus is on running for re-election in the 77th House District and to continue serving my constituents in Fairfield County," he said. "I have an obligation to my constituents in Fairfield County to win in November."

Schaffer shifts focus to re-election

Schaffer will face a re-election challenge from Libertarian and city native Kryssi Wichers and Democrat Brett Pransky. Schaffer served in the state senate from 2007 to 2014 before returning to the Ohio House.

The Republican Party will eventually name someone to finish Balderson's four-year term which expires in 2020, Schaffer said. The party is expected to fill the position after Aug. 24 when the election results are deemed official.

Balderson's Democratic opponent Danny O'Connor has yet to concede the race. Balderson's margin of victory is just more than 1,500 votes and election officials are counting more than 8,000 absentee and provisional ballots in the coming weeks.

What the future holds for Schaffer, Balderson

If the final results show a margin of 0.5 percent or less, state election officials will hold an automatic recount.

"What a hard-fought race," Schaffer said of the Balderson/O'Connor race. "Troy connected with the people and got the right message out there."

As it now stands, Balderson will finish the term until November and then face O'Connor again for a full term. Schaffer said more people will usually vote in a regular election than in a special election.

Fairfield County commissioner Steve Davis also said he's not interested in replacing Balderson. Instead, he said he will run for re-election as commissioner in 2020.